Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mallow and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,577 in Mallow, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Mallow
Learn more

Mallow Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Mallow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,577

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mallow and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mallow and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,577 per month in Mallow vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mallow $2,577
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,602 per month in Mallow vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mallow $3,602
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,628 per month in Mallow vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mallow $4,628
Chiang Mai $1,914

Mallow costs about 175% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mallow sits 91% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.38 €13.67

$2.26 ฿75.4

580.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 €69.7

$19.18 ฿641

308.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.29 €10.93

$5.59 ฿187

119.86%

Cappuccino

$3.99 €3.55

$1.72 ฿57.6

131.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.52

$0.64 ฿21.54

343.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.33 ฿11.18

569.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.28 €5.58

$2.36 ฿78.7

166.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$3.90 ฿130

16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.05 ฿68.6

-29.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.40 ฿46.70

72.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.28 ฿42.89

12.50%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$2.25 ฿75.3

32.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 €8.94

$16.94 ฿566

-40.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.02

$2.74 ฿91.6

311.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 €10.43

$9.36 ฿313

25.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.42

$2.40 ฿80.3

13.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.01 ฿33.92

127.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.61 ฿53.9

67.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 €4.73

$1.52 ฿50.7

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.28 ฿42.90

-33.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.11 ฿37.22

-43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.72 ฿24.09

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.52 ฿17.54

55.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.49 €19.12

$4.33 ฿145

396.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 €11.98

$17.73 ฿593

-24.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 €3.08

$1.63 ฿54.4

112.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.85 ฿95.3

21.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 €2.29

$0.85 ฿28.31

203.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$144 €128

$53.9 ฿1,801

167.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 €4.67

$1.17 ฿39.18

348.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.57 ฿19.00

170.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.88 €33.69

$2.37 ฿79.2

1498.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.45 ฿48.32

31.03%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.4K €34.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

87.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.9K €34.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

46.61%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$249 €222

$62.3 ฿2,083

299.84%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.58 €12.96

$12.27 ฿410

18.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 €44.84

$19.97 ฿668

152.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 €57.8

$37.91 ฿1,267

71.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 €9.85

$6.71 ฿224

64.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$830 €738

$797 ฿26.6K

4.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,430 €4,829

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-63.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$53.3 ฿1,780

101.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.68

$25.05 ฿837

100.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$91.6 ฿3,062

22.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$73.5 ฿2,455

75.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 €1,210

$464 ฿15.5K

193.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 €1,110

$305 ฿10.2K

309.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,986 €1,767

$915 ฿30.6K

116.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 €1,557

$552 ฿18.5K

216.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 €1,008

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-40.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$906 €806

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-37.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,176 €2,824

$595 ฿19.9K

433.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

5.57

-31.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mallow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mallow

$1.2K 48.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 75.6% $943

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mallow

$314 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 69.9% $220

Groceries & Markets

Mallow

$313 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.9% $75

Eating Out

Mallow

$269 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 70.6% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Mallow

$180 7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 39% $70

Getting Around

Mallow

$167 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 63.4% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Mallow

$87 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 41.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,361 in Mallow versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 434% higher in Mallow, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Mallow versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Mallow

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

17:32 5:32 PM

6 h ahead of Mallow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,456

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mallow Chiang Mai 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mallow
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mallow vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mallow costs about 175% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,866 per month in Mallow and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $830 per month in Mallow and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Mallow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Mallow at $2,577. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mallow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,577 in Mallow. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mallow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.